a Governmental agencies are by far the biggest funding source. And yet, they seldom can account for or justify years later the billions of dollars they spent.

The group queried 24 government agencies [in the U.K.] to find out how they publish and archive research that they commission. Only four departments maintained a data base of their research; 11 could not create an inventory of what they had supported, mostly because no central records exist. Agency confusion over when research reports should be published has resulted in what the group calls “ghost research” that is “unsearchable in the national archives and exists only in the memories of officials.” The report also described examples of delays in releasing the results of what it called “politically awkward” studies. John Travis, “U.K. Loses Too Much Research,” Science, Vol. 352, 10 June 2016, p. 1257.